Category Archives: Private

Air Mechanic, Army Cyclist Corps, Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Air Force, story, war

Corporal William Bailey

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Corporal William Bailey

William Bailey was born on 3rd May 1878, and was the oldest of five children. His father, Robert, was a cloth worker from Devizes, Wiltshire, but it was in the nearby garrison town of Trowbridge that he and his wife, Matilda, raised their children. The 1881, 1891 and 1901 census records all give the family’s address as 12 New Road, to the south of the town centre.

The 1901 census reveals some interesting information. By this point, Matilda records herself as widowed, and is financially supported by William, who is employed as a mattress maker, and two of his siblings. However, the same census states that Robert is, in fact, living and working in Llanwono, Mid Glamorgan, with another of their children, Frank. Father and son are both labouring in one of the local coal mines, Robert recording his status as married.

At this point, Matilda’ and William’s trail goes cold. The next census, taken in 1911, finds Robert still living in Llanwono, boarding with his brother in a fellow colliery work’s house on Rock Street. His records himself as ‘married, wife away’.

On 21st January 1915, William married Rose Hayward in their home town. War was raging across Europe by this point, and on 5th July 1916, he gave up his then job as a carpenter, to join the 2nd/7th Cyclist Regiment. Sadly, there is little information about his time in the army, although he rose to the rank of Corporal. Nine months after enlisting, however, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps.

Initially taking the role or Air Mechanic 2nd Class, his service papers show that he was just 5ft 4.5ins (1.64m) tall. By the summer of 1918, William had been moved across to the Royal Air Force, and promoted to Air Mechanic 1st Class. Attached to the 90th Squadron, then the 51st, he was based out of Waddington Airfield in Lincolnshire.

In the autumn of 1918 Air Mechanic Bailey contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to the 4th Northern General Hospital in Lincoln. The condition would prove fatal, and, on 22nd November, he passed away: William was 40 years of age.

The body of William Bailey was laid to rest in Trowbridge Cemetery. His headstone commemorates his army rank.

Corporal William Bailey
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, photography, Private, Royal Army Medical Corps, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Thomas Pepler

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Private Thomas Pepler

Thomas Pepler was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in December 1885. The third of six children, he was the oldest son to Henry and Rosa. Both of Thomas’ parents were wool spinners, and the family grew up on Holbrook Lane, to the south of the town centre.

When he completed his schooling, Thomas found work in an iron foundry. By the autumn of 1906, he had moved to South Wales, and it was here, in Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, where he met and married Emma (or Emily) Draper. The couple went on to have four children: Rosina, Thomas, Frances and Phyllis.

By 1911, Thomas had moved the family back to Trowbridge, and had set up home at 10 Sylverthorn’s Yard, off Duke Street, to the east of the town centre. Thomas was the only breadwinner, and is recorded as being a labourer in a trellis works.

War was on the horizon by this point, and Thomas would step up and play his part. On 8th May 1915, he gave up his work (then as a rubber worker) and enlisted as a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps. While his service papers are incomplete, they do show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall when he joined up.

Private Pepler spent the next three years supporting medical teams at field ambulances and hospitals in France. Unfortunately, however, he was not to be immune to the illnesses of the patients he was helping. At the start of 1918, he was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment for bronchitis, spending more than four months in hospitals in Norfolk.

As winter came round once more, Thomas was admitted to hospital again. He had contracted influenza, and was given treatment at a hospital in Lincoln. Private Pepler’s body would ultimately succumb this time around, however, and he passed away on 8th November 1918 – just three days before the Armistice. He was 32 years of age.

A heavy bereavement has befallen Mrs Tom Pepler, 20, Dursley Road, and her four little children, in the death of her husband, Pte. Tom Pepler, RAMC, at the age of 32.

Pte. Pepler was… a rubber worker employed at Bradford, and joined the Army in May 1915, and after seeing service in France he was invalided home and did duty at a Red Cross Hospital in Lincolnshire, where his death occurred on Friday from bronchitis.

[Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser: Saturday 16th November 1918]

The body of Thomas Pepler was laid to rest in Trowbridge Cemetery, a short walk from where his family were living.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire, Wiltshire Regiment

Private William Jacobs

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Private William Jacobs

William Jacobs was born in Shoeburyness, Essex, in 1884. The middle of seven children, his parents were John and Mary Jacobs. By the time William was born, John was employed as a domestic gardener, but it seems likely that he had been a military man, his children having been born in garrison towns across Britain and India.

William is missing from the 1901 census, but the family seem to have settled in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, by this point. On 7th October 1905, he married Laura Turner, a labourer’s daughter from the town. They went on to have two children, William Jr and Edgar.

By the time of the 1911 census, William was working as a painter and decorator for a local brewery. The family had set up home at 12 Wyke Road, to the north of Trowbridge town centre. War was on the horizon, however, and things were to change.

When war broke out, William stepped up to play his part. Full details of his time in the army have been lost to time, it is clear that he joined the Wiltshire Regiment as a Private, and was attached to the 1st Battalion.

Private Jacobs found himself in France by July 1915, and was certainly caught up in some of the the skirmishes of that summer and autumn. The following spring, however, he was wounded in the fighting, and was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment.

Admitted to the 5th Southern General Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Private Jacobs’ injuries would ultimately prove too severe. He passed away on 19th March 1916, at the age of 32 years old.

The body of William Jacobs was taken back to Wiltshire for burial: he was laid to rest in the garrison town’s cemetery, a short walk from where his widow and children were still living.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire, Wiltshire Regiment

Private Arthur Park

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Private Arthur Park

Arthur Albert Park was born in the autumn of 1890, in Devizes, Wiltshire. The second of six children, he was the youngest son to Arthur and Bridget Park. Arthur Sr was a labourer in a rubber factory, and, by the time of the 1901 census, the family had moved to Church Lane in Melksham.

Arthur Jr sought a life of adventure for himself, and joined the army. By 1911, he had enlisted in the Wiltshire Regiment and, as part of the 1st Battalion, he was stationed in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Sadly, there is little specific information available about Arthur’s military life. His medal roll card notes that he was re-engaged in the army on 7th October 1914, and was attached to the 2nd Battalion of his former regiment.

Private Arthur Park… joined the 2nd Wiltshire Regiment in 1907. He went to France in 1914, and was captured while acting as a stretcher bearer during the German offensive in March 1918. He was released in December, and came home in the beginning of January, but he was far from well, his ill-treatment in Germany having undermined his constitution…

Private Park comes from a military family, his late father having served with the Colours, and a brother is at present a private in the Rifle Brigade. He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

[Wiltshire News: Friday 14th February 1919]

There is no information about Arthur’s award, and the newspaper report comes after his passing:

[He] was staying in Trowbridge. He was sent up to the hospital in an unconscious state, and was apparently dying. He passed away on Sunday from double pneumonia and exhaustion, owing to the deprivations he had undergone in enemy hands.

[Wiltshire News: Friday 14th February 1919]

Arthur Albert Parks died in Trowbridge Hospital on 9th February 1919. He was 28 years of age. His body was laid to rest in Trowbridge Hospital, not far from the hospital in which he had passed.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Perthshire, photography, Private, Royal Marines, Scotland, story, war

Private Donald Bruce

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Private Donald Bruce

Donald Hendry Bruce was born on the 23rd July 1893 in the remote Logiealmond estate in Perthshire, Scotland. The oldest of six children, his parents were slate quarrier Hugh Bruce, and his wife, Ellen.

There is little information available about Donald’s early life, but the 1911 census records that he had enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry as a Private, and was based at the barracks in Deal, Kent.

By the time war broke out, Private Bruce was assigned to the battleship HMS Bulwark. Part of the Channel Fleet, she was tasked with patrolling and defending Britain’s southern coast.

On 26th November 1914, Bulwark was moored in the River Medway, close to Sheerness, and was being stocked with shells and ammunition. That morning, some poorly stowed cordite charges overheated, detonating the shells stored nearby. The resulting explosion ripped through the battleship, and more than 740 crew were killed. Donald’s body was among those recovered: he was 21 years of age.

Those who were killed in the explosion were buried in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent. As his body had been identified, Donald Hendry Bruce was laid to rest in a marked grave.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, Sergeant, story, war

Serjeant Henry Harris

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Serjeant Henry Harris

Henry Percy Harris was born in the Devon village of Combpyne in the spring of 1893. The oldest of eleven children, he was one of five sons to Eli and Amelia Harris. Eli, who was known by his middle name, Charles, and was employed as a carter on a farm. In a similar vein, Henry was known as Percy, and he also took up farm work when he completed his schooling.

When war was declared, Percy was one of the first to join up. Joining the Devonshire Regiment as a Private, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion. His service papers have been lost to time, but during the opening months of the conflict, his unit fought at Marne, Aisne and Messines, amongst other fierce battles.

One record confirms that Private Harris was wounded in the thigh on the 20th June 1915. Details are unclear, but the 1st Battalion were fighting near Ypres at the time. Percy’s wound healed, and he would soon be back in the fray.

Percy seemed to impress his superiors, and he rose to the rank of Sergeant. By the autumn of 1917, he was caught up in the fighting at Passchendaele, and was injured again. Medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, his luck was not to hold a second time. he died from his wounds on 17th November 1917, at the age of 24 years old.

The body of Henry Percy Harris was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful setting of St Mary’s Churchyard in his home village of Combpyne.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, Royal Fusiliers, story, war

Lance Corporal Harold Ford

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Lance Corporal Harold Ford

Harold Francis Ford was born on the 12th November 1896, and was the older of two children to George and Alice. George was a domestic gardener, and the family were raised in Buckland, Somerset.

When Harold completed his schooling, he joined his father in the gardening business. The 1911 census recorded that the family had moved to Axmister, Devon, and were living in Old Park Cottage (although Alice and Harold were actually staying with her brother in Buckland St Mary when the return was taken).

By the time war broke out, Harold had found work as an assistant mechanic. He was keen to play his part, however, and enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers in May 1915. His service papers show that he was 5ft 10ins (1.77m) tall, with brown eyes and dark brown hair.

Sent to Devonport for training, Harold seemed to impress his superiors. On 4th February 1916, he was made an Acting Lance Corporal, and this rank was formalised just a week later.

In April 1916, Lance Corporal Ford came down with bronchitis, and was hospitalised for two months. During that time he developed a heart condition, and this would prove severe enough for him to be discharged from military service. He was formally stood down on 14th June 1916.

At this point, Harold’s trail goes cold. He appears to have returned home, as this is where he died, on 16th December 1918. He had not long celebrated his 22nd birthday.

The body of Harold Francis Ford was laid to rest in the tranquil setting of St Michael’s Churchyard in Musbury, close to where his family were living. His headstone remembers “Frank”, an affectionate nod to what he was known as to family and friends.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Kent, London, photography, Private, Royal West Kent Regiment, story, Surrey, war

Private Robert Hawes

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Private Robert Hawes

Robert Hawes was born early in 1891 in Rochester, Kent. One of twins, his parents Henry and Alice had six children in all. Sadly, two of their children, including Robert’s twin, Edward, died early.

Henry was a bricklayer, and the 1891 census found the family living in rooms at 26 John Street, to the south of the town centre. This was a road they would know well, and the following return, taken in 1901, found them living two doors down, at No. 22.

When Robert completed his schooling, he found work as a general labourer for a wine and spirit merchant. By 1911, the Hawes family had relocated to 171 Rochester Avenue. Just one road from their previous home, this move afforded the seven of them more space.

War broke out in the summer of 1914, and Robert stepped up to play his part. Leaving his job as a cellarman, he enlisted on 11th December 1915, and, as a Private, was assigned to the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). His medical report notes that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, and had slight varicose veins to his right knee.

Initially attached to the 12th (Reserve) Battalion, by the summer of 1916 Private Hawes had been transferred to the 7th (Service) Battalion and sent to France. His unit was deeply ensconced at the Somme, and Robert was wounded during the opening day of the Battle of Ancre Heights.

Robert’s injury – a gun shot wound to the head – meant he was medically evacuated to Britain, and he was admitted to King George’s Hospital, London. Despite the treatment he received, his condition would prove too severe: Private Hawes passed away on 13th February 1917, at the age of 26 years old.

The body of Robert Hawes was taken back to Kent for burial, and he was laid to rest in St Margaret’s Cemetery, Rochester.

Robert’s older brother, Harry, had also served in the First World War. Attached to the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Private H Hawes was killed on the first day of the Battle of Loos: he was 30 years of age.

Harry Henry Hawes is commemorated on the Loos Memorial at Dud Corner Cemetery, France.

By the time of Robert’s death, Henry and Alice had lost all three of their sons.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, Royal Army Service Corps, Royal West Kent Regiment, story, unknown, war

Private Edward Larraman

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Private Edward Larraman

Edward William Larraman was born in Rochester, Kent, in December 1882. The third of seven children, he was one of five sons to Alfred and Mary Larraman. Alfred was a mariner who died when Edward was just ten years old.

Mary took work as a housekeeper, moving the family from their home at 4 Davis Square to rooms at 18 Northgate. Edward is missing from the 1901 census but, with later service records suggesting he volunteered with the Royal West Kent Regiment, it is possible that he was training with them when the return was taken.

The military life seemed to suit Edward and, on 4th November 1902, he gave up his job as a riveter to formally enlist, joining the Army Service Corps as a Private. His service papers from that time show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.64m) tall and weighed 120lbs (54.4kg). Hr was noted as having light brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Private Larraman spent the next four years on home soil, using the opportunity to gain a 3rd Class certificate in education, and rising to the rank of Lance Corporal.

On 23rd December 1907, Edward married Mabel Green. Born in Chatham, she was the daughter of a carpenter. The couple set up home at 3 Almon Place, Rochester – just a short walk from where Mary was living – and went on to have two children, Irene (born in 1908) and Thora (born in 1915).

Lance Corporal Larraman was medically discharged from the army on 18th May 1908. While it is unclear what affliction meant he was no longer fit to serve, he was awarded a pension for his service.

The next census, taken in 1911, found him and Mabel living in Almon Place with Irene and Mabel’s father Henry, and brother, George. Edward was listed as an army pensioner, while there were two salaries coming into the household: Henry was a carpenter and joiner at Chatham Dockyard, while George was a shop assistant.

At this point, Edward’s trail goes cold. It is clear that he re-enlisted when war broke out, although in what capacity, and for how long, is unclear. The only other record for him is that of his passing, on 22nd August 1919: he was 36 years of age.

The body of Edward William Larraman was laid to rest in St Nicholas’ Cemetery, Rochester, a short walk from where his family were still living.

Private Edward Larraman
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Canada, Canadian Infantry, Cheshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Oxfordshire, photography, Private, story, war

Private Robert Eustace

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Private Robert Eustace

Robert James Eustace was born in the summer of 1887 in the Oxfordshire village of Shirburn. The oldest of three children, he was the only son to James and Elizabeth (or Eliza) Eustace. James was a shepherd, and by the time of the 1901 census, he had taken up work on a farm near Slough, Berkshire. The document found the family living at 4 Wellington Place, on Grove Road, to the north of the town.

Eliza died in the years after that census was taken, and by the time of the next one, recorded in 1911, James and Robert had moved to 2 Pioneer Place in nearby Cippenham. Robert was employed as a carman, but it is clear that he sought more and he took the risk of emigrating for a better life.

Robert – who now took to calling himself James – moved to Gull Lake, Saskatchwean, where he took up work as a farmer. It is unclear when he left Britain, but when war broke out, he was called upon to come back.

James enlisted in Moosejaw on the 30th November 1915. His service papers show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.64m) tall, and had dark brown hair, blue eyes and a medium complexion.

After initial training, Private Eustace’s unit – the 28th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry – left for Europe. Departing from Halifax on the 15th August 1916, James arrived in Liverpool nine days later. Further training took place, and he arrived in France on 5th December.

Private Eustace fought in some of the key battles of that part of the conflict, including at Ancre Heights, and Arras. But it was at Hill 60 that James came unstuck, and he was badly wounded in the buttock and leg.

Initially treated on site, Private Eustace was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment. Admitted to the Lord Derby War Hospital in Warrington, Cheshire, on 26th August 1917, his wounds required surgery. James was also recorded as having an abscess in the psoas muscle in his lower back. During the operation, this was drained and cleaned. His service papers included a diagram of the operation from his surgeon.

James remained in hospital for a month, and during that time, he developed toxaemia. The combination of his injury, the abscess and the blood poisoning would ultimately prove fatal: Private Eustace passed away on 28th September 1917. He was 30 years of age.

The body of Robert James Eustace was taken back south for burial. James, shill a shepherd, was now living at Dorney Court Farm, not far from Slough, and it was in the village’s burial ground that he laid his son to rest.